Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 93698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
“I’m not sure what he’ll be eating.” Whatever it was, she hoped he choked on it after giving her and Ledger a scare. “Now, go to sleep.” She shut off the lights on her way out and made sure his nightlight was still on before completely closing the door behind her.
She normally left it slightly open so she could hear if he called out to her in the middle of the night.
Standing in the short hallway, she pulled in a fortifying breath and headed with determined strides toward the front door, where Zeke should be letting himself out.
“What you did was unaccepta—” She stopped short at the opening to her small kitchen when she saw Zeke wrapping paper towels around his forearm. Even more were piled in the sink with blood on them.
Thunder must have given him more than a warning.
Good girl.
He glanced up with a glare. “When the fuck you get a goddamn dog?”
Her mouth tightened. “Keep your voice down so he goes back to sleep. I got her after Ledger was born. I was a single mother with an infant, Zeke.” And no support system.
“Wouldn’ta been a single fuckin’ mother if you’d stayed in town. Woulda had plenty of protection. No fuckin’ dog needed.”
She went over to him and yanked his hand away from his forearm so she could inspect the damage Thunder caused.
He must have thrown his arm up to fend her off. Luckily the bite wasn’t deep or bleeding too badly, but it would bruise and he needed to take care of it so it didn’t get infected.
“I should call the damn police on you for breaking and entering my house.”
“Should call fuckin’ animal control. Got a dangerous animal ‘round my kid.”
She didn’t think she could roll her eyes any harder. “Thunder loves Ledger and would defend him with her life. Ledger loves Thunder and would be devastated if you had his dog taken away. You want to upset your son like that?” She tossed the bloody paper towels into the trash and pulled out a first-aid kit from a kitchen cabinet. She set it on top of the two-seater kitchen table and went over to the sink. “Come over here.”
His eyebrows stitched together. “For what?”
“So I can clean that up.” She turned on the faucet and tested the water to make sure it was warm enough before holding out her hand. “Give me your arm.”
“When the fuck you get so bossy?”
“Once I had a child. Right now it feels like I’m taking care of two.”
Funny how he couldn’t deny what she just said. In fact, he didn’t say a word and only watched her closely when she gently washed the bite with soap and water. Once it was thoroughly clean, she patted it dry.
She did her best to avoid his eyes as he stared at her while she worked. What she couldn’t avoid was his body heat, the warmth of his tattooed skin under her fingertips, and his familiar scent filling her nostrils.
The smell of warm leather, exhaust, and smoke caused a few unexpected reactions.
Some good, some not so good.
It also brought back quite a few memories. Again, some good, some not so much.
She shook those free and tipped her head toward the table as she dried her hands. “Now, go sit down at the table.”
“Why?”
His smooth-as-silk voice, no longer as harsh as previously, flooded through her. It took her back to the time when they’d be having sex and he’d murmur in her ear. That particular memory caused a shiver to shoot down her spine and goosebumps to cover every inch of her skin.
No! Bad girl!
She glanced at the patch with his road name to remind herself just who Zeke was.
Trouble. With a capital T.
“Because I don’t want you getting gangrene and your arm falling off.”
Just as she hoped, he quickly moved to the table, yanked out a chair, and sat. She turned away to hide her grin.
It also broke the spell he’d always had on her. She thought she was now immune. Apparently, she was wrong.
Once she had her hormones back under control, she settled in the seat across from him. “Give me your arm and sit still.”
With a grumble, he laid his forearm on the table as she rooted around in the kit for what she needed next. While dressing his wound with antibiotic ointment and gauze before wrapping a bandage around it to keep it clean and the gauze in place, she asked, “Why are you here at this time of night, anyway? You could’ve texted me and we could’ve set a time for you to see Ledger.”
“Don’t wanna wait, Ky. Also wanted to see…” His arm jerked slightly in her hold.
“See?” she repeated and raised her eyes to his before quickly dropping them back to his arm. Once she was sure the bandage was secure, she sat back and began to repack the first aid kit.